Now, Fai's U.K. links in focus, HASAN SUROOR

Now, Fai's U.K. links in focus, HASAN SUROOR

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Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, the controversial U.S.-based lobbyist accused of being an agent of the ISI, was also heavily engaged in a campaign to influence the British government's Kashmir policy through a London-based pressure group, the Justice Foundation Kashmir Centre.

The Foundation, which describes itself as “a non-partisan, non-governmental organisation that seeks justice and peace for the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir, not aligning itself with any of the political parties of India or Pakistan'', paid for a cross-party group of British parliamentarians — two MPs and one peer — to visit Pakistan recently.

The Times newspaper on Tuesday claimed that according to records of Companies House, Mr. Fai was one of the two directors.

The newspaper reported that in March, the Foundation “helped to fund'' a trip to Kashmir by Lord Ahmed, a Labour peer; Andrew Griffiths, a Conservative MP; and Simon Danczuk, a Labour MP. A Conservative MP, Richard Harrington, paid his own costs.

Senior members

“The trip was organised by Lord Ahmed, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on Kashmir, of which all three MPs are senior members. There is no suggestion that they were aware of the centre's alleged links to the ISI or have acted improperly in any way,'' it said.

Lord Ahmed said he had known Dr. Fai since 1993 but was unaware that he was a director of the Foundation which he thought was a charity. A spokesman for Mr Danczuk said the MP “did not know anything about the Kashmir Centre and had no idea that it was allegedly funded by the ISI” .

Set up in 2003 by late Dr. Ayub Thakur, a controversial figure, the Foundation has organised many high-profile conferences in the U.K. In 2006, Dr. Fai attended an International Kashmir Peace Conference in London. It says it's aim is to “keep the issue of human rights and the conflict in Kashmir on the political and diplomatic agendas through encouraging the debate within the journalistic and academic communities on both sides of the divide''.